This invention relates to the recovery of transition elements, and more particularly to the recovery of gold including microfine gold from gold-containing ores and other particulate materials.
It is generally recognized that the placer mining of gold fails to recover a substantial portion of the fine and microfine gold content of the ore, which may constitute as much as 20% of the total gold content, since that form of gold is readily carried away either with the rapid flow of water or by floating on the less turbulent flow. Conventional placer operations concede this loss because they are capable of recovering only the conventional size particles.
Additionally, many gold deposits are located in dry areas where water is not available, and therefore the conventional recovery processes are not usable.